In the heart of Amish country, cheesemaker Ruth Klahsen, a veteran chef well-known to patrons of Rundles and the Old Prune in Stratford where she once cooked, makes more than 30 different cheeses including the "wow" one called Piacere (pleasure in Italian), a semi-soft sheep's milk cheese covered with rosemary, savoury, chill pepper and juniper, that's addictive.

Fifth Town, which gets its name from its location, once known as "Fifth Town" or the fifth town to be settled in newly formed Upper Canada, makes about 15 cheeses including I Wish, an Idiazbal-style sheep's-milk cheese (a Basque style smoked cheese), cave-aged for three to nine months, and Lemon Fetish, a soft sheep's milk cheese that's lightly aged and made with lemon zest.

The well-stocked factory shop naturally features Upper Canada's two unique cheeses produced using the milk of a single local Niagara herd of Guernsey cows cared for by the Comfort Family (one of only a half dozen Guernsey herds in Canada), namely the Oka-style semi-soft Niagara Gold fashioned after recipes developed by the Trappist Monks, and Comfort Cream, their camembert-style soft, white bloomy rind cheese.

One of the most northerly of Ontario's cheesemakers, Thunder Oak took the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix in 2002 for the best firm cheese for their handcrafted farmstead Gouda. The cheese company was founded by Jacob and Margaret Schep, who both came from cheese-making families in Holland.

This small farm with a name evocative of Jean Cocteau and 1920's Paris has been developing a special herd of dairy sheep, such as Lacaune, East Friesian and Rideau Arcott crosses, to produce Pyrenees-style Tomme, blue cheese and feta.

Historic Black River Cheese Company, located in bucolic Prince Edward County, was started in 1901 by local farmers and is still a co-operative producing tangy aged cheddar, flavoured mozzarella and even garlic curds.

As founding members of Ewenity Dairy Co-op, cheesemaker Elisabeth Bzikot and her husband Eric buy raw sheep milk from the small co-operative to make yogurt, ice cream and a fine collection of firm and soft sheep cheeses, such as Mouton Rouge, a 60-day-aged raw milk cheese and Ramembert, a creamy camembert style cheese.

James Keith handmakes ewe milk cheese in a little fromagerie in Lanark Highlands and trucks it to the Carp Farmer's market, the Byward Market and restaurants and shops in Ottawa, Perth and Kingston. Back Forty is known for its Highland Blue; Madawaska, with its tangy soft centre; and Dalhousie, a semi-firm brushed cheese.

A respected brand in Northern Ontario for more than 68 years, the cheese, ice cream and curds made at Thornloe use millions of litres of locally produced milk every year. Travellers love to stop at the cheese factory store on Highway 11 between New Liskeard and Armstrong.